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Benjamin Kelsoe
| title = Commanding officer | stationed = Starfleet Command | rank = Captain | insignia1 = | spouse(s) = Anne (Deceased) | mother = Julienne Brooke (adoptive) | father = Maxwell Brooke (adoptive) | children = Kyle (clone) (Deceased) | siblings = Julian Brooke (adoptive) | image2 = kelsoe.jpeg | caption2 = Kelsoe's service picture }} Benjamin Kelsoe was the commanding officer of the since 2378. He was one of the few Starfleet captains involved in major strategy planning during the Coalition War. ( ) Early years Benjamin Kelsoe was believed to have been born in Billings, Montana to unknown parents. The only identification that could be found on him was the name Benjamin, the last name had been scrubbed off the paper. Immediately after being found, the infant Kelsoe was sent to an orphanage in San Francisco. As he grew up he often asked about his parents, but he was never given an answer. He was told that the man who found him was a Dr. Kyle Kelsoe from Billings, Montana. He never found out who his parents were. When he was six years old, he was adopted by Maxwell and Julienne Brooke, who raised him as one of their one, along with their own son, Julian. ("Question of Loyalty") Academy years (2364-2368) When he had reached the appropriate age, he was allowed to enroll in Starfleet Academy with the Brooke's next door neighbor, Commander Jon Larue, as his sponsor. It was at the Academy where he meet his long time friend, Connor Burt. Kelsoe excelled at his studies and in physical training, making him an easy choice for officer's training. During his graduation ceremony, Kelsoe met both Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Ambassador Spock. Early career Ensign Kelsoe served aboard the under Captain Donald Blaine. It was on the Milburn that Kelsoe became a lieutenant. ("Everything Changes") The Skyfox For a while Commander Benjamin Kelsoe was the executive officer on the , under the command of Captain Sarah Tellening. Tellening and Kelsoe became romantically involved and after an away mission incident, Kelsoe requested reassignment. ("The Teacher") The Enterprise He was then sent the , under the command of Jean-Luc Picard, where he spent most of his time in engineering assisting Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge, getting the new ship ready for its shakedown cruise. Captain Picard remembered meeting the young Kelsoe at Starfleet Academy and immediately recognized Kelsoe's given talents for command. Picard took it upon himself to become Kelsoe's mentor and Kelsoe has seen Picard as a second father ever since. It was while serving aboard the USS Enterprise-E that Kelsoe met and married his wife, Anne. Starfleet Command A year after he married Anne, a position became available in Starfleet Command, and with the urging of Captain Picard and Commander William Riker, Kelsoe applied for the post. He won the position and became the personal assistant to Admiral John Hayes, the Starfleet Commander. Kelsoe was present on Earth during the Borg incursion and watched from Earth Spacedock, as the Enterprise, with his wife aboard, was taken back in time with the Borg. Later, when the Enterprise returned did he learn of the assimilation and eventual death of his wife. During his grieving process, he was visited by many of his friends from the Enterprise including Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Riker, and Geordi La Forge. ("The So'ja Incident", "The Teacher") Duty aboard the USS Pioneer Unsure that he was capable of command, Kelsoe suddenly found himself promoted to the rank of captain in 2378 and given command of a starship, the , which had been refitted for long missions in a new part of space called the Oralian sector. Kelsoe asked his old Academy buddy, Connor Burt to be his first officer, and in no time a crew had been assembled. Later on Kelsoe would learn that one of his strongest proponents was Captain Picard, who, along with Admiral Hayes, had urged Starfleet Command to give him command of a starship. With the knowledge that both saw him as having the capability to command his own starship, his confidence soared and he was ready to tackle his first mission. ("The So'ja Incident", "The Teacher") Body swap During the second year of his assignment aboard the Pioneer, Kelsoe encountered a prisoner by the name of Tyson Calok, who had glowing red eyes, and special abilities. In an attempt to escape, Calok swapped bodies with Kelsoe. This deception was later uncovered by the crew, and Kelsoe was restored to his own body, but in the process, he had unknowingly met his archenemy. ("Transfer") Cloned In 2379, Romulan Commander L'mar meet with Kelsoe about the Pioneer, after which it was discovered that L'mar had stolen some samples of Kelsoe's DNA. Later that year, the Pioneer stumbled upon the wreckage of L'mar's ship, the , and found a young boy. After an examination by Dr. Braga, it was determined that the boy was a clone of Captain Kelsoe. Kelsoe named him Kyle, and stood by his side as he died as a result of genetic encoding by L'mar. ("Beware Romulans Bearing Gifts", "The Crossing") Medal of Valor In 2381, Kelsoe received the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor for his action in preventing the assassination of Federation President Korvin Mot earlier that year. Admiral Toshio Kawamura presented the medal to Kelsoe three months after he was rescued from his imprisonment by Tyson Calok and the So'ja Coalition. ("Prime Target", "Everything Changes") Programmed In early 2381, at the beginning of the Coalition War, Kelsoe as abducted from the while they were rescuing the crew of the in the Trajan Nebula. He was taken to a secret station somewhere in the vicinity of the Venka Nebula. While there he was tortured and interrogated by Tyson Calok and L'mar, during which Kelsoe was shaved and subjected to Calok's telepathic mind probes. Later that year his crew rescued him. In 2382, after the Battle of Minark, Tyson Calok "activated" a mental program he had installed in Kelsoe while interrogating him in 2381, causing him to turn stark raving mad. It was only through the efforts of his crew and some timely help from Xojo Manjala that he was cured of the mental program. Later, it was determined that as a result of the programming, Kelsoe could read Romulan. ("The Hornet's Nest", "Nothing Else Matters", "Torment and Woe", "Dawn", "The Forgotten Planet") Because of this mental program, Section 31, sent Commander Bradley Smith of Internal Affairs to arrest Kelsoe on charges of treason. During his interrogation, Smith revealed that Kelsoe no longer required the universal translator to read, speak, or hear alien languages. After which, Smith informed Kelsoe of the charges and placed him under arrest. However, Smith mission was foiled by Admiral Truman and he committed suicide while being transferred back to Earth for court martial. ("Internal") Starfleet service record * Starfleet Academy (2364-2368) - Rank: Cadet * [[USS Milburn (NCC-1901)|USS Milburn (NCC-1901)]] (2368-2369) - Rank: Ensign - Post: CONN officer * [[USS Milburn (NCC-1901)|USS Milburn (NCC-1901)]] (2368-2370) - Rank: Lieutenant - Post: CONN officer * [[USS Milburn (NCC-1901)|USS Milburn (NCC-1901)]] (2370) - Rank: Lieutenant Commander - Post: Operations officer/Second officer * [[USS Skyfox (NCC-19030)|USS Skyfox (NCC-19030)]] (2370-2372) - Rank: Commander - Post: Executive officer * [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)]] (2372-2373) - Rank: Commander - Post: Engineering technician * Starfleet Command (2373-2378) - Rank: Commander - Post: Senior Aide to the Starfleet Commander * [[USS Pioneer (NCC-1084)|USS Pioneer (NCC-1084)]] (2378- ) - Rank: Captain - Post: Commanding Officer Honors Citation of Honor, Star Cross, Legion of Honor, Medal of Commendation, Career Service Citation, Extended Service Citation, Starfleet Delta Cross, Silver Palm, Battle of Sector 001 Service Medal, Dominion War Victory Medal, Raid on San Francisco Service Medal, Purple Heart, 18 Commendations, and the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor. *Bridge Officer Certification *Command Officer Certification *Starfleet Academy Top Fifteen Percent of Class Ribbons file:Extended Service Citation.png file:Christopher Pike Medal of Valor.png Personal life Benjamin Kelsoe enjoys collecting antics and ancient artifacts, a habit he picked up from his former commander Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Kelsoe's first commanding officer was Captain Donald Blaine of the , where Kelsoe served as the CONN officer. It was with Blaine that Kelsoe explored his interest in painting. Though Kelsoe has remained an amateur, Blaine is considered a great painter. In fact, when Kelsoe was promoted to Commander, and made the first officer of the , Captain Blaine gave him one of his paintings. ("Everything Changes") Friendships Connor Burt Connor Burt and Kelsoe have been friends since Starfleet Academy. Kelsoe first year at the Academy was difficult, as he got used to the course curriculum and the physical training. Burt, despite being a year behind Kelsoe in entering the Academy, excelled in his classes. They met during an engineering class which Kelsoe, during the beginning of Kelsoe second year. The class was for sophomores, but Burt's test scores had cleared him for the class. They hit it off immediately and soon after became roommates. Eventually, the two of them ended up renting an apartment in downtown San Francisco. After graduating they stayed in touched, and in 2378, when Kelsoe was given command of the , he asked Burt to become his first officer. ("The So'ja Incident") During leave, Kelsoe and Burt both went hiking together, along with Braxis, on Andres Rae. ("Almost Paradise") Robert Tuff Kelsoe first met Commander Robert Tuff in 2378, when the rescued him from the wreckage of the in the Venka Nebula. He would later ask Tuff to become the tactical officer of the Pioneer. ("The So'ja Incident") During their duties aboard the Pioneer, Kelsoe grew to respect and value Tuff as both an officer and a friend. Their bond strengthened when they worked together to interrogate Korvin Mot's would-be assassin in early 2381. Their friendship became so close, that they eventually developed inside jokes that only the two of them knew. Later that year, after the forced retirement of Commander Burt, Kelsoe asked Tuff to become his first officer. ("From the Past", "Infested", "In Custody", "Everything Changes", et al.) James Morgan Kelsoe was good friends with MACOs commander Major James Morgan. Both were orphans and grew up in the same orphanage in . ("The Hornet's Nest") Norman Craig and Tracy Carson In 2379, when Kelsoe became trapped in the spiritual realm of the Kobalians, Lieutenant Norman Craig agreed to link minds with the captain to bring him out. As a result of their mind being linked, Kelsoe became familiar with Craig's feelings for Tracy Carson, and for a time afterward felt he had those feelings for Tracy as well. However, he knew that those feelings were just the lingering feelings of Craig left over from their mind link. Yet, despite that, Kelsoe continued to feel strongly about both Craig and Tracy, almost as if they were family. ("The Bonding") In 2382, Kelsoe presided over their marriage. ("For Better or Worse") Romances Anne Kelsoe Kelsoe met Anne while serving aboard the . They married in late 2372. Kelsoe loved her very much and when she was assimilated by the Borg and later died in 2373 it tore him apart. By 2380, he still had not gotten over her death. ("The So'ja Incident") Joanna Withrome All though neither has admitted it, they both felt a strong attraction to one another early on into their assignment aboard the . Kelsoe's first officer, Connor Burt, tried to convince Kelsoe to see Joanna romantically. However, he declined, remembering his past relationship with Sarah Tellening. Sarah Tellening In 2370, Benjamin Kelsoe became Tellening's executive officer aboard the and by early 2371, they had begun an affair. In 2372, Kelsoe requested a transfer after his feelings for her interfered with his duties during a mission. The two met again in 2380, when Starfleet needed to select a new Commander-in-Chief. They had dinner, and Tellening revealed her interest in picking up where they left off, however, Kelsoe was still recovering from the loss of his wife in 2373. At the time, his feelings for her are ambivalent. ("The Teacher") When they met again, she teased that she had been eying Major James Morgan, Kelsoe's old friend. In 2382, before the Battle of Minark, Tellening and Kelsoe reunited during the mission briefing. Captain Connor Burt sensed that the flame between the two was still there so he left them the room, leaving them alone. Tellening and Kelsoe exchanged a few words before passionately kissing and deciding that they would continue their relationship once they returned from the mission. ("Torment and Woe") In 2383, after the events of Minark and its aftermath, Kelsoe and Tellening decided to take their relationship slow, to allow Kelsoe time to recover from his ordeal. ("The Forgotten Plant") After suffering at the hands of a rogue Internal Affairs officer, Kelsoe finally admitted he loved her. ("Internal", "Obsession") Enemies Tyson Calok Kelsoe first encountered Calok when the crew of the USS Pioneer was assigned to transport Calok from Dinok to the Federation Penal colony on Rizac V. Later, when he was "released", Calok attacked the Oralian Peace Conference on Deep Space Five, almost killing Kelsoe and Admiral Harold Anton. Since then Calok has been a persistent thorn in the side for both Kelsoe and the Federation, including helping the So'ja Coalition plot the assassination attempt on the Federation President. Then in 2381, Calok abducted Kelsoe from the and performed a series of experiments on him, which could be viewed as torture. After many sessions of experiments and mind probes, Calok revealed to Kelsoe that he had big plans for the captain. ("Transfer", "Security Threat", "Prime Target", "The Hornet's Nest", "Question of Loyalty") Calok's assistance of the So'ja Coalition in their war against the Federation has also helped create the feelings of animosity between the two. Calok had also interfered with Kelsoe and his crew's secret mission to Boolrillia to make contact with the Boolran. And he also played a major role in the Battle of Minark, the aftermath of which nearly destroyed Kelsoe's sanity because of the mental program Calok had installed in his mind. ("The Boolran Eye, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3", "Torment and Woe", "Dawn") The mental program he received from Calok, which was later undone by Xojo Manjala and Tracy Carson, was used against him by Internal Affairs officer Bradley Smith, when Smith accused Kelsoe of treason. ("Internal") Telek L'mar The Romulan Commander L'mar attempted to clone Kelsoe after meeting him in 2379, and later joined forces with Tyson Calok against the Federation during the Coalition War. He also assisted Calok in his experiments and torturing of Kelsoe while the captain was in their custody. ("Beware Romulans Bearing Gifts", "The Crossing", "Prime Target", "Question of Loyalty") Xojo Manjala The Tealuian known as Xojo Manjala has been a thorn in Kelsoe's side ever since he abducted three crew-members of the in 2378. Xojo was then caught performing scientific experiments on the crew of the Pioneer. And then joined forces with Tyson Calok to 2382. Later that year Xojo was betrayed by Calok and the Coalition when the 3rd Command Group attacked his homeworld of Minark. After the Battle of Minark, Xojo helped repair the damage done to Kelsoe's mind by Tyson Calok. ("The Caverns of Eden, Part 2", "Unwelcomed Visitors", "Question of Loyalty", "Torment and Woe", "Dawn") Kelsoe, Benjamin Kelsoe, Benjamin Kelsoe, Benjamin Kelsoe, Benjamin Category:Starfleet personnel (24th century)